History & Heritage

An 80 year old watch brand resurrected

1934

Where it all began
It is 11 days before Christmas 1934 when Lebois & Co is founded by French watch manufacturer Raymond Dodane, who represents the third generation of the Dodane watchmaker family. Its mission is clear and simple: create aesthetic and affordable Luxury Swiss timepieces.

The Dodane manufacture is founded in La Rasse in the Doubs in 1857, by Alphonse Dodane and his father-in-law François-Xavier Joubert. In 1929 the Dodane family settles in Besançon, where Raymond Dodane carries on the traditions of complex watch fabrication.

1947

Lebois & Co gets Italian
After World War II the brand Lebois & Co is handed over to Italian importers who outsource production to Dodane aswell as other Swiss watch manufacturers.

With its new owners Lebois & Co’s primary market is Italy but the brand is also well established in the rest of Europe.

1972

The brand ceases to exist
Lebois & Co ceases trading 40 years after it was founded, the original Lebois & Co stops producing watches and the brand ceases to exist.

Despite the disappearance of Lebois & Co the brand is still known today and popular with watch collectors all over the world. This beautiful 1945 Lebois & Co Chronograph sold for over $ 6,000 at Christie’s Important Watches auction in 2012.

2014

The finding of an unfamiliar brand
Early 2014 Tom & Eveline come across a picture of a beautiful vintage watch, a Lebois & Co Chronograph which was sold at an auction by Christie’s. They print the picture of this watch and stick it to their fridge.

Being struck by the beauty of this timepiece they start their research of this unfamiliar brand and their former owners.

2014

Lebois & Co is reborn
Upon the approval of the Dodane family the brand is resurrected, exactly eighty years after the original company was founded. Continuing its mission to create aesthetic Luxury Swiss timepieces.

Fitting for these times the new logo for Lebois & Co is crowdsourced and the first model named Avantgarde will be crowdfunded.

2015

Successful Kickstarter funding
Lebois & Co launches its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to part-fund the first Re-launch Edition of the Avantgarde Date watch.

The campaign is funded at 126% of its goal making it the first luxury Swiss Made mechanical watch successfully funded on Kickstarter! The first watch is sold to over 20 countries around the world. To find out more about our Kickstarter campaign, visit the Kickstarter project page.

2016

Successful Kickstarter funding
Lebois & Co returns to Kickstarter to part-fund the second Re-launch Edition of the Avantgarde Date watch.

The campaign is funded at 104% of its goal and Lebois & Co is proud to be able to start producing its second batch of watches! To find out more about our Kickstarter campaign, visit the Kickstarter project page.

2017

The campaign is funded at 161% of its goal and Lebois & Co is proud to be able to start producing its third batch of watches! To find out more about our Kickstarter campaign, visit the Kickstarter project page.